A few observations and thoughts from the weekend. With just a few hours to go before the CAS-Contador verdict there’s just time to squeeze these in.
Lance Armstrong vs Lance Armstrong
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| Lance Armstrong has been cleared as the federal investigation into doping and financial irregularities was dropped. An announcement was quietly put out late on Friday.
During a lengthy investigation spanning 20 months, investigators failed to find a single reason to prosecute the seven time Tour de France winner. Grand jury testimony against Armstrong came from embittered former colleagues with proven records of doping and deceit. The end of the investigation will prove humiliating to federal investigator Jeff Novitzky who hounded Armstrong and recently failed in his bid to prosecute baseball player Barry Bonds. The move to stop the investigation puts an end to the legal persecution endured by Armstrong. The famous cancer survivor can now resume his role as a charity fundraiser. Cycling fans can now draw a line under the past. |
Lance Armstrong is facing fresh questions over his past as the federal investigation into doping and financial irregularities was dropped. An announcement was quietly put out late on Friday.
During a lengthy investigation spanning 20 months, investigators built a substantial dossier against the seven time Tour de France winner. Grand jury testimony against Armstrong mainly came from some of his closest former team mates who decided to speak out. The end of the investigation could give the last laugh to federal investigator Jeff Novitzky who built the case against Armstrong and was responsible for exposing the doping of baseball player Barry Bonds. The move to stop the investigation does not mark the end of Armstrong’s problems. The embattled cyclist will now find the US Anti-Doping Agency investigating him. Cycling fans will continue argue over his past achievements. |
Saturday shorts
A few short items with Armstrong, the Contador verdict, sprinters in Qatar and a possible new big stage race in Colombia
Impossible not to mention Lance Armstrong today, if only because my twitter timeline is bursting with comment. In case you’ve missed it, the US authorities have dropped the investigation into doping and potential federal crimes relating to the use of sponsorship monies.
Correction
In the piece on Thursday entitled “One UCI official, two jets and three yachts” I mistakenly featured a Boeing 737 aircraft registered in the name of Itera Holdings, it seems planespotters have confused Itera with Intera and almost every image of the Boeing has it registered with Igor Makarov’s business. However this is incorrect and the Boeing 737 instead belongs to a Czech billionaire financier called Petr Kellner. Sorry.
Too cold to race?
Yesterday saw the Etoile de Bessèges race disrupted by cold weather. Snow, albeit light, and freezing temperatures were enough to worry riders and organisers alike and the second stage was shortened to 58km and once underway it was semi-neutralised by a bunch keen to get the task over and done with. Marcel Kittel won in … Read more
One UCI official, two jets and three yachts
A good salary in a hard currency combined with tax perks make working at the UCI a financially rewarding role. But not everyone does it for the money. One member of the UCI Management Committee who doesn’t need extra income is Igor Makarov.
Chairman of ITERA, the Russian gas trading company, some say Makarov is a billionaire but it’s hard to be precise with his net worth. He’s the former champion cyclist who started selling jeans on the streets of Turkmenistan and became a Russian oligarch and now helps run Russian cycling as well as the UCI. Needless to say he is wealthy and busy too. So whilst some UCI officials might get to travel in business or first class, Makarov goes private. The jet above is his.
Wednesday shorts (boxers)
Nacer Bouhanni won the opening stage of the Etoile de Bessèges in southern France. The FDJ-BigMat rider is a sprinter and this time last year I wrote about his impressively low position on the bike (being short helps too). Now in his second year as a pro it’ll be interesting to see how he does, … Read more
Spotlight on Qatar
Qatar is the world’s wealthiest country on a per capita basis. Last year locals were worried for the state of the economy after it grew by a meagre 15%. No typo, that’s fifteen percent. Whilst most Europeans long for the day their economy expands by 1.5%, the Qataris get richer by the day.
The reason is primarily the prodigious oil and gas reserves that lie under the country’s sands and off its shores. There’s so much of this valuable resource that the country has gone from nomadic desert dwelling to the highest per capita income in the world in one century.
You haven’t come here to read about Arab wealth, nor oil and gas. But this wealth is the reason why the country has a cycle race starting tomorrow with the Ladies Tour of Qatar and then the Tour of Qatar for men on Sunday. Here’s a look at the race.
Blood irradiation explained
One of the quirks of following pro cycling is a passing knowledge of medical vocabulary. Words like quadriceps or lactic acid are obvious. But worryingly the discerning fan can build up a formidable lexicon of haematology, although knowing the vocabulary is quite distinct from knowing the subject. In recent years the likes of haematocrit, reticulocyte and plasma have appeared in cycling headlines. Now the latest concept is “blood irradiation” following allegations in Germany. Here’s a small explainer.
Today’s the delay
Another day, another delay. This time the CAS has put out announcement:
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) it intends to publish its decision in the arbitration procedure involving the International Cycling Union (UCI), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Alberto Contador and the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) on Monday 6 February 2012.
But even this was followed with an ominous phrase that “a confirmation as to the date and time of the publication of the decision will be given” suggesting the date isn’t set in stone. Although optimists will note that the CAS is now talking about the time, we’re getting more and more precise.
The CAS is in no rush here, it has no incentive to hurry cases.